2004 Farmer of the Year is Leo McGuire Sr.

FALLBROOK -- Leo McGuire Sr. has been named the San Diego County
Farm Bureau's 2004 Farmer of the Year and will be honored during a
banquet in Escondido on Sept. 27.

McGuire, 86, has been a Fallbrook grower for 55 years and a
member of the farm bureau for 54 years.

He said in an interview last week that he was surprised to learn
he's being honored,

"There are so many other great guys in agriculture around here.
I really appreciate it," McGuire said.

He won't let the title go to his head, he said.

"As my grandfather used to say, 'It still takes five cents to
buy a cup of coffee, no matter what your title is.' "

McGuire, who proudly displays his "Farm Bureau Member" sign at
his grove of cherimoya trees on Avenida De Nog, has been a member
for more than half of the organization's 90-year history. He has
never shied away from trying out new crops, including his
cherimoyas which look like avocados and taste like a sweet
banana.

McGuire started with a small grove and gradually became enmeshed
in the local farm scene through L&M Fertilizer, a business he
operated with a partner. The company is now run by his son, Leo
Jr.

Earning his stripes

His career also included a decade of public service. From 1973
to 1983, he sank himself into water issues on behalf of growers as
a member of the Fallbrook Public Utility District board.

In 1982, he successfully led a bond issue to enlarge the Red
Mountain reservoir to increase the amount of water held in reserve
from a three-day supply to a month's worth.

"I was concerned that we didn't have much water," McGuire said.
"What if there was an emergency?"

He still worries about water.

"What we're going to have problems with is water. When's the
last time we've had rain? I'm glad I only own five acres. I'd be
sweating if I had 100 acres."

As the company achieved success, the elder McGuire purchased
more and more acreage in the Fallbrook area, at one time operating
about 200 acres of fruit groves.

The selection

Farmers of the Year are selected for support of the agricultural
industry, according to Jim Bathgate, the 2003 Farmer of the Year.
Past recipients serve on the bureau's selection committee.

Bathgate said McGuire's work on water issues was a major factor
in his selection.

"And, Leo Sr. has been willing to try new crops, such as
cherimoya, and new farming techniques, such as permanent
irrigation," Bathgate said.

McGuire's son said his father often donated the stipend he got
as a utility board member to charities such as the Boys & Girls
Club of Fallbrook.

Leo Jr. also said his father spent a lot of personal time
working on utility board projects.

Drawn to Fallbrook because of its country setting, McGuire and
his wife of 57 years, Bobbie -- whom he credits with much of his
success -- purchased a 9-acre tract in November 1949. The property
included 3 acres of avocado groves and 2 acres of lemon groves.